When travelling to Peru (or any country where you don’t know the language), it’s REALLY helpful to learn a few basic phrases/words to help you out. Below are useful Spanish words to know for travelling in Peru.
Before I went to Peru for 2 weeks, I made the mistake of not really taking the time to learn some of the language beforehand. Instead I had to quickly learn as I went. I fumbled along and heavily depended on Google Translate and other people to get me though.
So to make life a bit easier for you, here are some useful Spanish phrases and words that I used almost everyday while traveling in Peru.
Basic Essentials
Name: Nombre. Even though it sounds like “number”, they are actually asking for your name. If you meet someone, you order from anywhere, or if you have a reservation, etc. you may be asked what your name is.
Hello: Buenos Dias/Buenos Noches/Hola. Depending on the time of day, they will either say “good morning” or “good evening/night”, or just “hello.”
Please: por favor
Thank you: gracias
Yes: Ci
No: No. You will be saying this A LOT in the main tourist areas, since you will be approached to buy something constantly. A firm “no, gracias” will help!
Bathroom: Bano (“Ban-yo”)
Numbers
Really useful Spanish words to know for travelling in Peru are numbers! Learn numbers 1-20, and higher if you can.
If you ask how much something is, it helps to know numbers so that you know what their response is! I carried around a small notebook and pen with me, just in case I didn’t understand I could get them to write it down.
At the markets it is accepted, and expected, to negotiate. It will help to know a few numbers to communicate how much you would like to pay for an item.
In Peru, you negotiate the rates for your taxi (BEFORE you get in it!). We had pre-booked all of our taxies with Taxidatum (read about my experience and how to do day-tours with them here), and used Uber, so luckily we didn’t need to negotiate rates with taxies. But if you decide you want to hail a taxi and ask them how much the taxi ride is, and then what you want to pay, knowing your numbers will help!
Food
The menu: carta. Luckily, a lot of restaurants in the main tourist areas had English translations underneath, or had separate English menus. However, when the menu was entirely in Spanish I used Google Translate to help me out.
Would you like a drink with that?: Quieres una bebida? This is something that you will probably be asked if you order a meal in a restaurant.
Take-away: para llevar. The portion sizes in Peru are massive, so we found it helpful to ask for our food to be put in a take-away container so that we could eat some of it the next day.
Bottle of water WITHOUT carbonation: botella de agua SIN gas. Bubbly water is really common in Peru, so if you want normal flat water, this is what you ask for.
Bottle of water WITH carbonation: botella de agua CON gas.
Coffee: café
Milk: leche
Sugar: azúcar
Without: sin
With: con
Beer: cerveza
Spicy: picante
Tip: If you’re travelling with a group, they will usually put all of your meals on the same bill.
We tried the ENTIRE trip to get them to split up our bill. We tried to say it in Spanish in tons of different ways, but with no luck. So… keep that in mind if you’re travelling with multiple people!
In the end, what we found what worked the best was after we got our bill we would go up to the cash, point to what we ate on the bill, and take turns saying “I would like to pay for this” (Me gustaria pager por).” If you have experience with this, and how you asked for it – please let me know in the comments below!
Suggested Reading: 12 Things I Wish I had Known Before Visiting Peru.
Shopping
How much does it cost?: cuanto cuesta? I also found out that just asking “cuanto?” helped when I couldn’t remember the entire sentence.
And again, it helps to know numbers up to at least 20, so that when they reply to you with a cost you will understand how much it is!
Directions
As a traveler, getting lost can happen soooo easily, so knowing directions can definitely help. Even if it’s just to find the bathroom!
Where is: donde esta…?
Left: Izquierda
Right: derecho
Here: aqui
Exit: salida
Tips
Download the Google Translate app on your phone.
Download the Spanish translation manual on Google Translate so that you can use it anytime and without wifi.
I wrote in the app what I wanted to say, and either showed them the translation or tried to say it myself. Sometimes, they would type their response to me in the app.
In restaurants, I could use the camera to instantly translate menus and signs from Spanish to English. It definitely helped A LOT.
Have a positive attitude
Getting angry at someone having trouble understanding you does not help. Remember, you are a guest in their country, and also representing your own country, so be respectful and patient. A smile and hand gestures ( and google translate! ) can go a long way.
However, if you feel like you are being led into a dangerous situation, then that’s a whole different story. Aside from that, it was actually quite an inspiring experience communicating with others who are unable to speak the same language, and how at the end of the day we are still able to (somewhat) understand each other.
Do you have any useful Spanish words to know for travelling in Peru, or anywhere else in the world? Let me know in the comments below!
